Liquid control for textile washing machines



Aug. 21, 1951 s. o. STAGEBERG 2,565,150

LIQUID CONTROL FOR TEXTILE WASHING MACHINES Filed June 11, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet 1 l .az E ,6 0 J4 l o wezzzu 1951 s. o. STAGEBERG 2,565,150

LIQUID CONTROL FOR TEXTILE WASHING MACHINES Filed June 11, 1945 2Sheets-Sheet 2 7a /5 J 5 7.9 39 77 m 62 $3 30 if 7/ .57 .5'6 A f 61; 7572 I I 7 L6, 7 59 1 8 .37 I 32 o .33 e 5 34 J5 Patented Aug. 21, 1951TED TS IATELS PATENT .OFFil-CE LIQUID CONTROL FOR TEXTILE WASH INGMACHINES gsterling LMStageberg, Minneapolis, Mim1.

:ADplieation 'June11, 1945, ,Serial Np. ,5,9; ,7;2

(Cl. '68-'"1i5 6) mashing-machines,- hasbeenxthe usual pr c i vtojflllithermachine it; anpredetermined :level with r waterinrtroth rhetereentliquidunderzeith rma 3113 1 511 :automaticgontml. ,,-It ;isobvious 1 that :less Fliuuid required 11 clean a :Smallbaitch .iOf.texwtile :than :a dame thatch so th t :in c nventional machines ranmxeessive .iqua-ntity .:.of liquid is used when ieleanine 21airelatively -;small :batch of texstiles. washing :machines,1this-resu1tsin a wast 33f that water and :off the soap or other 11e- "teiieentmaterials :required to bring the water :to the:desiredzcleanin-grstrenth.

:It:isaccordin ly-:onezofitheobjectsof the present invention to provideappara us :for cleaning .iitextiles ::in which the uuantity :of d ergentliquid employed is automatically controlled in proportion tothetfiuantityqof -textiles tc the cleaned.

.A speo iflc object is to provide Ga washing .mawhine-in which ithe-guanty=- of .water suppli dis automatically controlled in p o o to theweight ofitextilestohe washed.

Another object is to provid apparatus for cleaning ptextileseinrwhichthe supply of detergent ivliquid automatically controlled in respon e to.ivthe balance. of iforces proportional to the weight of textiles andthe ;.head of ,liuuid in :the appa- 11313115.

.Still another phjectis to .provide apparatus for acleaningqtextilesiuwhiehlthe motor which operates the -.aupa-ratus :senres als o wei hthe xitiles ,in LthG'fQRP JIaItHS- According to some feature, the,,motor j holds :the textiles on a, movable partition, or'the like, inthe tub and the force {exerted Joy the ,motor is utilized .as a Tcontrolling ,iorce Ito .determinehthe quantity .of lliguidto hesupplied.

Still. another ,ohject. is ,to provide apparatus for =ac1eaning textilesin whichlthetextiles are weighed .dliy ,in I the apparatus ,and ,liquid.is thereafter d d naiquenti y-automatically proportioned to :Lthezwveijghtiof ithe .teXti,1es. In one: desirable .con-

.:struction, ,the supply of liquid is startedby closing. .a cover.onflithe "apparatus andismstopped aultomaticallyywhen the desired.guantity ,Qf li J hasheen supplied.

[A ffurther .QUJ ect ,is lto provide ,capparatus ffor eleaninltextiles'.in which operation oif;t,h,e.motor isgp 'evente'dfluringtheaddition of liguidandis .gstaftedtohfiet a cleaning operation when; the

desired ,quantity of liquid isin the apparatus.

."A still :further .hhi ee is it .Pwti'de apparatu :for clean ngtextiles it which a cont o devic res onsive o .t eihead o liqu d in.theenparetu .is latched to p e dama e t er to .siuriug th cleaningoperation.

The above and other objects and advantages of the invention w ll ermererreadilyau a en qfr th f llowing descripti n .wh n read iconnection with the -,aecompanrinedraw g,tin :W iQ ieure .1 is ,av.;ciie en n r c ati el sseet onal izie one giorm o apparatus embod ing41 1 inventi n and JEieure. 2 is a viewzsirnila to i-figure oft-ameternativefconstru ction.

Theapparatuses'iil ustratedais.eeneraliysim- Lilar to t at more i-pareuiarly .d .er ed an claimed ;in ;my zoo-pendin applica on *Ser al NO-7' ,fi e M ylfi,:l 45,2nowBa ent3N0..2;52

806, dated ;September 21.9, $1950., and may rope te in the samegeneralmannereto efiectajcleaning, a rinsing and a drying operation. Asshown,-the apparatus comprises a vertical cylindrical tub I0 flared-latits t p as indi ated t J l 1A. cylindr cont iner {I 2 is mounted n the.tub and .is' s aled to the 1 upper end. f th -tub rby a fle ible annulas al strip -13. .iIhe .aflat h rizontal h t pf 'thenontainer 2 is :per oated as l d eat s a f 4,

to provide ,for:1i w -;0 selean ng l quid and ai theretl'nzoueh. econtaine adapted "1 h moved ver ica ly .im the tub by :a pist n red {15connected to :a :piston 111d W;hich:is slidahle :i n ;a :cylinder 2|"!imountedzbelowithe tub. Aetuating "f d is u piiedato theioylinsier :IJ(throu h pipes in and t9 connected to the f; oppos nds :of :th

.cylinder and :tOa,1I'V8IfSiIlg ivalve 12L .Afiuid supply :pipe 2-2 and.an rexhaust pipe :23 arecon- :nectedcto the -reversing :valve.*Elhewalve 121 no :controlled 'by a rod 24 :having -:spaced steps :25thereon adapted 'to 1 bewengagedvby an arm .26 on the piston'rod 15.With this construction during norma1= operation :the :valve 521'willbexreversed :at

the-oppositeendsof the piston stroke soithat the piston willreciproceitethe container W in the tub.

Liquid, such as water, is adapted -to be *supplied'to the tub through anozzle' 2 l discharging into the upper end of the container under -;t-he

--controlof a valve 28. "The-valveis'provided-with an operating arm 29'ada-pted, -when-in -the-raised position shown in Eigure 11, -;to closethe valve 3nd; when lowered, ;to;open"the valve. T-he liquid may bedrained -'-from-;the-"tub through -a drain .valve '30. The tub isadapted to {be closedghy a hinged :cov r :13! "hinged at Jone-sidethereof and latchedin closed position lgy any suitabledatching 'meansmorshow The weighing mechanism In order to weigh the quantity of textilesin the apparatus, the cylinder IT is provided with a port 32intermediate its ends connected through a valve 33 to a discharge pipe34 which may discharge into a sump or the like. The valve 33 ispreferably a double valve, one-half of which controls the connectionbetween the port 32 and the pipe 34 and the other half of which controlsthe connection between a pipe 35 connected to the bottom of the cylinderll and a pipe 36. The valve 33 is operated by a lever 3l so that bothportions thereof are opened when the lever is raised to the positionshown and both portions are closed when the lever is lowered.

The pipe 36 is connected to an expansible chamber, shown as a flexiblebellows 38, which is adapted to expand upwardly upon an increase inpressure. A second similar bellows 39 is connected to the lower part ofthe tub ID to expand in response to the head of liquid in the tub. Thebellows 38 and 39 are connected by a block 4| to oppose each other sothat the position of the block will depend upon the balance of theforces exerted by the bellows.

Movement of the bellows is adapted to control a switch 42, such as aconventional microswitch which is normally closed and which opens whenan operating button 43 thereon is depressed. An arm 44 carried by theblock 4| is adapted to engage and depress the button 43 when the armmoves downwardly. The switch 42 is connected gized and is connected tothe valve operating arm 29. A spring 49 normally urges the arm 29 upwardto the position shown.

Operation In operation of the apparatus with the valve 33 in its openposition to connect the port 32 and the pipe 34 and to connect the pipes35 and 33, the piston IE will be raised substantially to the positionshown in which it partially uncovers the port 32. When this port isuncovered, fluid will be exhausted beneath the piston through theva1ve33 and pipe 34 so that the piston will remain in the positionshown. At the same time, the switch 46 is closed to energize the coil 49and open the supply valve 28 to supply water to the tub. Textiles placedin the container will eventually be covered by the water but will exerta downward force on the container equal to the unsuspended weight of thetextiles. This force tends to depress the piston 56 to close the port 32but as soon as this port is restricted, pressure builds up below thepiston it until a balance is reached between the downward force causedby the weight of the textiles and the pressure acting on the piston. Itwill be seen, therefore, that the pressure acting on the piston 85 is anaccurate measure of the weight of the textiles in the container.

This pressure is transmitted through the pipes 35 and 36 to the bellows38 causing it to expand upwardly against the bellows 39. As watercontinues to flow into the tub, the bellows 39 will exert a greaterforce until it moves the arm 44 downwardly against the bellows 38 toengage the switch operating button 43 and open the switch 42. At thistime the solenoid 45 will be deenergized and the spring 49 will closethe valve 28. The closing of the valve 23 is therefore controlled inresponse to the balance between forces proportional respectively to theweight of textiles in the container and the head of liquid in the tub.By this means the liquid in the tub can be accurately proportioned tothe weight of the textiles to be cleaned for optimum results.

After the supply of water is interrupted, the cover 3| of the tub isclosed to start the cleaning operation. As shown, the cover is connectedthrough a link 5| to the lever 3'! so that when the cover is closed, thevalve 33 will move to its closed position to interrupt communicationbetween port 32 and pipe 34 and between pipes 35 and 35. As soon as thevalve 33 is closed, flow of liquid through the port 32 is stopped sothat the piston [6 will move up to its extreme upper position and willstart reciprocating in the normal manner to efiect a cleaning operation.Thereafter, the operation may be continued in the manner described in myco-pending application Serial No. 595,979 (now abandoned).

In order to prevent damage to the bellows 39 during a cleaning operationdue to pressure surges in the tub, latching means are provided to holdthis bellows during such operation. As shown, the latching meanscomprise a bar 52 slidably supported between spaced rods 53 supported bya bracket on the tub. The outer end of the bar 52 is pivotally connectedto the link 5| so that when the cover 3| is opened, the bar will bewithdrawn to the position shown to free the bellows 39. When the coveris closed at the start of a cleaning operation, the bar 52 will slidethrough the rods 53 into engagement with the lower surface of thebellows 39 to latch the bellows in substantially collapsed position. Thebellows will, therefore, not expand and contract during pressure changesoccurring in a cleaning operation so that the bellows will not bedamaged.

The embodiment of Figure 2 Figure 2 illustrates an alternativeconstruction in which the textiles are weighed dry and the amount ofliquid supplied to the tub is propertioned to the dry weight of thetextiles. Parts of the washing machine construction proper in .thisfigure which are identical with like parts in the construction in Figure1 are indicated by the same reference numerals. As shown in thisconstruction, operating liquid is supplied to the cylinder I! by a pump54 driven by an electric motor 55. The motor is connected across asource of electric current indicated as a battery 55 through a manualcontrol switch 5? So that when the switch 51 is closed the motor 55 willoperate the pump to deliver fluid under pressure to the system.

The double valve 33 is normally urged to its closed position by a spring53 and is adapted to be opened by a solenoid 59 which is shown in Figure2 in the valve opening position. The solenoid 59 is connected at oneside to a wire at leading to one side of the battery and at its otherside is connected to an automatic control switch 62 which is connectedthrough the switch 5'; to the battery. The switch 62 is similar to theswitch 42 of Figure l and is normally closed to be opened when anoperating button 63 thereon is depressed. The bellows 39 is adapted tobe latched during operation of the machine by a latch 64 urged to alatching position beneath the bellows by a spring 65 and adapted to bewithdrawn by a solenoid 96 connected in parallel with the solenoid 59.The solenoid 45 which controls the water inlet valve 28 is conne ted. inparallel with the a substantially vertical tub, means to supply liquidto the tub, a generally horizontal partition movable vertically in thetub, a fluid motor connected to the partition to reciprocate it in thetub, means to supply operating fluid to the motor, the motor includingmeans to regulate the fluid pressure therein with the partition in anintermediate position in the tub whereby the regulated motor pressurewill be proportional to the weight of textiles carried by the partition,and means communicating with the tub and motor and jointly responsive tosaid regulated motor pressure and the head of liquid in the tub tocontrol the supply of liquid to the tub.

6. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a substantially verticaltub, means to supply liquid to the tub, a horizontal partition movablevertically in the tub, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder connected toth partition to reciprocate it vertically, means to supply actuatingfluid to the cylinder to reciprocate the piston therein, the cylinderhaving an intermediate port therein controlled by the piston to causethe piston to hold the partition in an intermediate position when theport is open, a valve controlling the port, and means responsive to thepressure in the cylinder when the port is open and to the head of liquidin the tub to control the supply of liquidrto the tub.

7. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a substantially verticaltub, means to supply liquid to the tub, a horizontal partition movablevertically in the tub, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder connected tothe partition to reciprocate it vertically, means to supply actuatingfluid to the cylinder to reciprocate the piston therein, the cylinderhaving an intermediate port therein controlled by the piston to causethe piston to hold the partition in an intermediate position when theport is open, a valve controlling the port, a pressure responsive deviceconnected to the cylinder below the port to produce a force proportionalto the pressure in the cylinder when the port is open, a second pressureresponsive device connected to the tub toproduce a force proportional tothe head of liquid in the tub opposing the first named force, and meanscontrolled by said devices in accordance with the resultant of saidforces to control the supply of liquid to the tub.

8. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a substantially verticaltub, means to supply liquid to the tub, a horizontal partition movablevertically in the tub, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder connected tothe partition to reciprocate it vertically, means to supply actuatingfluid to the cylinder to reciprocate the piston therein, the cylinderhaving an intermediate port therein controlled by the piston to causethe piston to hold the partition in an intermediate position when theport is open, a valve controlling the port, a hinged cover for the tub,a connection from the cover to the valve whereby the valve will be openwhen the cover is open and closed when the cover is closed, and meansresponsive to the pressure in the cylinder and to the head of liquid inthe tub when the valve is open to control the supply of liquid to thetub.

9. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a to the tub, a horizontalpartition movable vertically in the tub, a cylinder, a piston in thecylinder connected to the partition to reciprocate it vertically, meansto supply actuating fluid to the cylinder having an intermediate porttherein controlled by the piston to cause the piston to hold thepartition in an intermediate position when the port is open, a valvecontrolling the port, a pressure responsive device, means including avalve connecting the pressure responsive device to the cylinder, meanssimultaneously to open and close both of said valves, and meanscontrolled by the pressure responsive device and by the head of liquidin the tub to control the supply of liquid to the tub.

10. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a substantially verticaltub, means to supply liquid to the tub, a horizontal partition movablevertically in the tub, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder connected tothe partition to reciprocate it vertically, means to supply actuatingfluid to the cylinder to reciprocate the piston therein, the cylinderhaving an intermediate port therein controlled by the piston to causethe piston to hold the partition in an intermediate position when theport is open, a valve controlling the port, a pressure responsivedevice, means including a valve connecting the pressure responsivedevice to the cylinder, a hinged cover for the tub, a connection fromthe cover to said valves to open the valves when the cover is open andclose the valves when the cover is closed, and means controlled by thepressure responsive device and the head of liquid in the tub to controlthe supply of liquid to the tub.

11. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a substantially verticaltub, means to supply liquid to the-tub, a horizontal partition movablevertically in the tub, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder connected tothe partition to reciprocate it vertically, means to supply actuatingfluid to the cylinder to reciprocate the piston therein, the cylinderhaving an intermediate port therein controlled by the piston to causethe piston to hold the partition in an intermediate position when theport is open, a valve controlling the port, a pressure responsivedevice, means connecting the device to the cylinder to be responsive tothe pressure therein when the valve is open, a spring connected to thepressure responsive device to be adjusted thereby, a second pressureresponsive device connected to the tub to be urged in one direction bythe head of liquid therein, the spring engaging the second device tourge it in the other direction, and means controlled by movement of thesecond device to control the supply of liquid to the tub.

12. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a substantially verticaltub, means to supply liquid to the tub, a horizontal partition movablevertically in the tub, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder connected tothe partition to reciprocate it vertically, means to supply actuatingfluid to the cylinder to reciprocate the piston therein, the cylinderhaving an intermediate port therein controlled by the piston to causethe piston to hold the partition in an intermediate position when theport is open, a valve controlling the port, a pressure responsivedevice, means connecting the device to the cylinder to be responsive tothe pressure therein when the valve is open, a spring connected to thepressure responsive device to be adjusted thereby, a hinged cover forthe tub, means operated by the cover to latch the spring in adjustedposition when the cover is closed, a second pressure responsive deviceconnected to the tub to be urged in one direction by the head of liquidtherein, the spring engaging the second cylinder to reciprocate thepiston therein, the device to ur e it in the other direction, and meansgee Baton a substantially vertical tub means tosupplyyliquid to thetub,-- a; horizontal partition movable verti-;' call-yinthe tub,,acylinder, a'pistoni-in the cylin-w der connected to thepartitionto'reciprocateit vertically; means to supply actuatingfluidiltmthfi? cylindera to. reciprocate the piston". therein,thecylinder: having an intermediate; port therein controlled by thepiston to cause the piston to hold the partition in an intermediateposition when the port is open, a valve controlling the port, a pressureresponsive device, means includ ing a valve connecting the pressureresponsive device to the cylinder below the port, a second pressureresponsive device connected to the tub to be responsive to the head ofliquid therein, means controlled jointly by the pressure responsivedevices to control the supp'y of liquid to the tub, latching means forlatching the second pressure responsive device and means forsimultaneously operating the valves and the latching means.

14. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a substantially verticaltub, means to supply liquid to the tub, a horizontal partition movablevertically in the tub, a cylinder, a piston in the cylinder connected tothe partition to reciprocate it vertically, means to supply actuatingfluid to the cylinder to reciprocate the piston therein, the cylinderhaving an intermediate port therein controlled by the piston to causethe piston to hold the partition in an intermediate position when theport is open, a valve controlling the port, a pressure responsivedevice, means including a valve connecting the pressure responsivedevice to the cylinder, a second pressure responsive device connected tothe tub to be responsive to the head of liquid therein, means controlledjointly by the pressure responsive devices to control the supply ofliquid to the tub, latching means for latching the second pressureresponsive device, a hinged cover for the tub, and connections from thecover to the valves and the latching means simultaneously to operatethem.

15. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a tub adapted to containdetergent liquid, means to supply liquid to the tub, means mounted forvertical movement in the tub to support textiles therein, a spring,means controlled by the last named means to adjust the spring inaccordance with the weight of textiles supported by the last namedmeans, a pressure responsive device connected to the tub and responsiveto the head of liquid in the tub, the spring opposing movement of thepressure responsive device in response to the head of liquid in the tub,and means controlled by movement of the pressure responsive device tocontrol the supply of liquid to the tub.

16. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a tub adapted to containdetergent liquid, means to supply liquid to the tub, means mounted forvertical movement in the tub to support textiles therein, a spring,means controlled by the last named means to adjust the spring inaccordance with the weight of textiles supported by the last namedmeans, a hinged cover for the tub, latching means for the spring to holdit in adjusted position, a connection between the cover and the latchingmeans to actuate the latching means when the cover is closed, a pressureresponsive device connected to the tub and responsive to the head ofliquid in the tub, the spring opposing movement of the pressureresponsive device in response to the head of liquid in the tub, andmeans controlledby movement of the pressure responsive" device tocontrol the supply of liquid to the tub.

1'7. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising.

a tub adapted to contain detergentliquid, means movably mounted in thetub to support textiles therein,--meanscontrolled by; said means inaccordance with the weight of textiles supported thereby to produce acontrolled pressure, a pressure responsive; device connected, to the,last

named means to respond to thecontrolled pres-:1

sure, a second pressure responsive device connected to the tub torespond to the head of liquid therein, the pressure responsive devicesopposing each other, means including a valve to supply liquid to thetub, and means jointly responsive to the pressure responsive devices tocontrol the valve.

18. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a tub adapted to containdetergent liquid, means to supply liquid to the tub, means mounted forvertical movement in the tub to support textiles therein, meanscontrolled by said means in accordance with the weight of textilessupported thereby to produce a controlled pressure, a pressureresponsive device connected to the last named means to respond to thecontrolled pressure, a second pressure responsive device connected tothe tub to respond to the head of liquid therein, the pressureresponsive devices opposing each other, a spring engaging the pressureresponsive devices respectively at its opposite ends, means to latch theend of the spring which engages the first named device in the positionto which it is moved by the first named device, and means controlled bymovement of the second device to control the supply of liquid to thetub.

19. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a substantially verticaltub, a horizontal partition movable vertically in the tub, a cylinder, apiston in the cylinder connected to the partition to reciprocate itvertically, means to supply actuating fluid to the cylinder toreciprocate the piston therein, the cylinder having an intermediate porttherein controlled by the piston to cause the piston to hold thepartition in an intermediate position when the port is open, a valvecontrolling the port, a pressure responsive device, means including avalve connecting the pressure responsive device to the cylinder, asecond pressure responsive device connected to the tub to respond to thehead of liquid therein, a control device operated jointly by thepressure responsive devices, a cover for the tub, means including asupply valve to supply liquid to the tub, means operated by closing ofthe cover to open the supply valve, and means operated by the controldevice simultaneously to close the supply valve and the first two namedvalves.

20. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a tub adapted to containa detergent liquid, means to supply liquid to the tub, a perforatedpartition in the tub to support the textiles to be cleaned therein,means mounting the partition for vertical movement in the tub, meanscontrolled by the partition to produce a force proportional to theweight of textiles supported by the partition, and means controlled bysaid force to control the supply of liquid to the tub.

21. Apparatus for cleaning textiles comprising a tub adapted to containa detergent liquid, means to supply liquid to the tub, a perforatedpartition in the tub to support the textiles to be cleaned therein,means mounting the partition for vertical movement in the tub, powermeans 11 connected to the partition to move it vertically, and meansresponsive to the downward force exerted on the power means by thepartition due to theweight of textiles thereon to control the supply ofliquid to the tub.

STERLING O. STAGEBERG.

REFERENCES CITED file of this patent:

Number 12 UNITED STATES PA'ZW Name Date Pedrazzo Nov. 8, 1932 Wells Nov.8, 1938 Chamberlin July 11, 1939 Kirkman Aug. 6, 1940 Davis Aug. 6, 1940Breckenridge Nov. 24, 1942 Gilbert Dec. 15, 1942 Ferris Aug. 14, 1945

